


Stealing the Kitsune

by capricornkitty1975



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Hackers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Angst, BAMF Hatake Kakashi, Blackmail, Drunk Driving, Multi, Oral Sex, Possession, Romance, Slice of Life, Underground, Yaoi, Yuri, criminal elements, established relationships - Freeform, gullible, stolen goods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-09-23 06:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17074718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capricornkitty1975/pseuds/capricornkitty1975
Summary: The Namikaze Kitsune is the most highly sought after statue in the criminal world...but no one is truly sure what the statue contains.  The statue has very high tech security in place to keep it from being stolen and tampered with.  When the best hacker in the underworld, Hatake "SilverFang" Kakashi, is hired to hack the statue's security, which includes hacking into Naruto's life, will business stay Hatake's focus, or will a certain blonde make him forget his assignment?This is non-cannon.  I don't own Naruto or the characters, but I do own the plot, so please, as always, no klepto!





	1. Arranged Meetings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jofisk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jofisk/gifts), [Nashi_ossu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nashi_ossu/gifts), [littledesertgypsy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littledesertgypsy/gifts).



“You wanted to speak to me?”  The silver haired man asked as he sat down in front of a speaker on an empty desk in an empty office.

“Yes…I wanted to hire you for a job.”  The speaker box said in a masculine, computer garbled voice.  There was no artwork, no pictures, and no personality of any kind in this office.

“Hn, really?”  The silverette pulled out his tablet, opening it up and starting to type as he plugged a cord into the speaker box.  “You could have just called me then.”  He responded.  His black mask covered his face from his nose down.  His onyx eyes were staring at print on the screen, the thin, vertical scar over his left eye pale, but still visible behind his shock of bangs. 

“Yes.  That is true, but then I wouldn’t be able to…” the voice lost its computerized voice and Kakashi smirked at hearing his old friend’s voice…”determine your worthiness.”

“Really, Tenzou?  I would think you would know my worthiness.”  Kakashi’s eye crinkled as his smile split his face under his mask.

“Hmph… _I_ do.  My client however, wanted verification.  I am pleased to report he wants to hire you.”

“Oh, for what?”  Kakashi asked.

“My client wants you to determine the password for the Namikaze Kitsune.  Bring it back to him and he will pay handsomely.”  Tenzou’s voice held a smirk as Kakashi’s eye widened.

“The Namikaze Kitsune?  That’s the most sought after artifact in the world!”  Kakashi’s voice held surprise.

Tenzou chuckled.  “That it is.”

 _But no one knows why._   Kakashi thought.  _Some say there is a priceless gem hidden in it; others say it is made of priceless gems.  Still others say that something far more valuable is within the statue._ As Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the speaker, Tenzou continued.  “My client is willing to pay more money than you have ever seen for the password.  And he wanted the best, so naturally I thought of you.”

Suspicion pierced Kakashi.  “But…”

Tenzou cleared his throat.  “But, this is more than a hacking mission.  Intel has led us to believe that Minato’s boy, Naruto, is a key to the puzzle.  So I definitely need you.”

Kakashi frowned.  “Why me?”

“Intel has told us that Naruto is gullible, trusting, and very, very gay.  Seems he figured that he was gay, and then he had a failed relationship with Uchiha, Sasuke.  He then tried to have a relationship with Hyuuga, Hinata, but that went south quick when he realized he just wasn’t interested.  Therefore, he’s single and on the lookout.  You are just his type…and ours.”

“Type?”  Kakashi asked warily. 

“Yes.  Type.  You are the strong, mysterious, silent type.  Just like Sasuke was.  In addition, you can turn your feelings on and off and not get attracted to him.  I need you to woo him, seduce him, somehow get to that statue and get the password.  Will you take the job SilverFang?”

Kakashi stared off for a moment.  He was single, for a reason.  Relationships were messy, dangerous, and not particularly useful.  He wouldn’t call himself straight, bi, or gay.  He had never really been attracted to anyone.  He had only ever “dated”…if you could call taking a woman to dinner and bed…women, but he was not really attracted to them…they filled a need.  “How old is this Naruto Namikaze?”

“Uzumaki.”  Tenzou corrected.  “He’s nineteen.”

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow.  “And you think he’d be attracted to a 33 year old?”

“Trust me.  Has my intel ever been wrong before?”  Tenzou asked the cockiness in his voice.

Unfortunately, it had not.  “How much?”

“22,515,300 yen.”  Tenzou replied.

Kakashi whistled.  That was equal to 200 million American dollars.  The most expensive statue ever bought on auction was 141.3 million.  Somebody wanted this statue…badly.  “Okay, I’ll do it.  Send over the intel on Uzumaki.”

()()()

“Whaddaya wanna do today?”  The blonde eyed male asked his pale raven-haired roommate.  Looking back on Naruto with obsidian eyes, Sasuke shrugged.  “Well, do you have to go meet Oreo after work?”

Sasuke shook his head.  “No.  Oro is out of town with his sister for the weekend.  He won’t be back til Sunday night.  Some family thing that he and his sister do every year around the anniversary of their parents’ deaths.”  Orochimaru was Sasuke’s boyfriend of two years.  Orochimaru and his sister Anko had moved to town with their parents about four years before, when Orochimaru was seventeen and Anko was fifteen.  When their parents died in a car crash about a year later, Orochimaru didn’t have the heart to make Anko move, so he stayed in town and worked full time to support them both. 

Orochimaru met Sasuke because he got a job at the factory that Sasuke’s dad owned.  To say that Sasuke’s dad was pissed was an understatement.  Fugaku wanted his son to marry a good, rich girl…not a male factory worker.  Naruto thought that Sasuke dated Orochimaru in the beginning to just piss off his dad, and Naruto was probably right.  However, Sasuke grew to love Orochimaru and now the two were inseparable.  Naruto may have doubted the validity of Sasuke’s feelings in the beginning, but now Naruto knew that both truly loved each other.  It could be seen in the way they acted, the looks, the touches.  It was something Naruto wanted, but didn’t have.

“Wanna go to Cire’s?”  Naruto asked as his eyes lit up.  Cire’s was a popular underground hangout that was basically a Chuck E. Cheese for hackers with food and games, both arcade style, virtual reality, pool tables, air hockey tables, and the like.  And of course, it is where all hackers went to check if they had a job.  Neither Sasuke nor Naruto had had a job in a week…the market seemed kinda slow at the time being.  Nodding, Sasuke got up, grabbing his wallet.  As Naruto slipped on a black tee shirt over his jeans and slipped on his Converse, he grabbed his wallet, texting his friends to meet them there. 

The two men shared an apartment, since Sasuke was sick of living with his family and Naruto didn’t want to live with his godfather until his trust unlocked at 21.  As the men walked into Cire’s, they saw several faces they knew.  As Naruto and Sasuke sat down at a booth with Sakura, her girlfriend Hinata, Rock Lee and his girlfriend Tenten, Naruto smiled at his group of friends.  They were all hackers…and they all took jobs sometimes.  When they weren’t on jobs, they challenged each other to complete a near impossible hack to see who could do it first.  No _if_ someone could do it first, but _who_ could do it first.  Because, in all reality, they would all be able to hack it, it was just a question of who could hack it first.  Naruto had never met more talented people in his life with computers, save his dad.  It’s no wonder he gravitated to these types of people, it helped ease the ache of the loss of his dad, who died last year.  Suddenly, Naruto noticed a really hot guy walk into the place.  His silver hair almost seemed to glow.  He had a mask covering his nose and mouth, but his build was muscular and what Naruto could see of his face was gorgeous.  Gulping and blushing, Naruto turned his attention to the talk around the table.

“So, what’s the newest challenge?”  Rock asked, holding Tenten’s hand as she leaned against him, checking her phone.

“Hmmm…target?”  Naruto asked, ordering some appetizers for everyone to snack on and some soda.  As names were thrown out, Naruto tried to pay attention.  However, it just seemed like he kept catching the silver haired guy out of the corner of his eye.  As talk continued, Naruto was distracted.  Finally, Naruto saw the guy sit down at the counter and order something to drink.  Getting up with an “excuse me, bathroom” Naruto headed to the bathroom.

After going to the bathroom and splashing some water on his face, he looked at himself in the mirror.  “It’s okay, Naruto…he’s just a cute guy.  Probably wouldn’t even give you the time of day.  Don’t say anything to him; don’t make a fool of yourself.  Just go sit down with your friends.”  Nodding at himself, determination in his eyes, he walked out.  As he walked out, he ran right into a solid chest clothed in a black vee-neck sweater.  Falling on his rump, he looked up with a glare.  “Hey, watch where…”  His voice got lost in his throat as he noticed it was that cute guy.  _Dear Kami, he is even cuter close up!_   He could see that dark eye.  The mask added to the mysteriousness, and somehow made the guy _more_ attractive, in a bad boy kinda way.

“Sorry about that.”  The man said, reaching down to help Naruto up, the baritone winding its way around Naruto’s spine like a silk blanket.  As Naruto gripped the hand, he noticed it was so warm and strong.

“N…no problem.”  Naruto blushed as he was helped to his feet.  Taking a big gulp of air and ignoring the voice in his head, he went on, “I haven’t seen you here before.  You new?”

Chuckling, the man stared at the younger man.  _Yep, he was definitely an easy one to read.  Wore his heart on his sleeve._   “Hn.”  Was all Kakashi would say, remembering Tenzou’s comment about strong and silent.

Naruto grinned.  “You the quiet type, huh?”  He cut his eyes sideways at Kakashi, sizing him up.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.  “Like what you see, kid?”  He asked, taking a chance that his assessment of this kid was right. If not, he had a plan B.

Naruto blushed, about swallowing his tongue.  “H…huh, what?  What are you talking about?”  Naruto’s face turned beet red.

Kakashi leaned over, getting really close to Naruto.  “Good boys like you always are attracted to bad boys, right?”  His breath ghosted over Naruto’s face.  “Or am I wrong?  Do you go for girls?  Cause it’d be a shame if you did…” he whispered, face stoic.

Naruto’s heart careened and then crashed into his stomach.  He had never been flirted with before.  He had _definitely_ never been flirted with by a hot guy before.  In fact, Naruto had been the one to chase Sasuke in that doomed relationship.  Swallowing audibly, he just looked up at Kakashi, his eyes huge.  “N…no…I don’t.  Like girls, I mean.”  Naruto said, he cock stiffening in his pants at the way Kakashi talked to him. 

“Hmm, good.  Cause that’d be a waste.”  Kakashi commented, slipping Naruto’s phone out of his hand.  “Cause I _definitely_ like what I see.”

“M…me too.”  Naruto stammered.  “How do I get to see what’s under the mask?”  Naruto asked false bravado in his voice.

Handing his phone back to Naruto, Kakashi eyed him.  “If you’re a good boy, maybe I’ll show you.”  Running a finger down Naruto’s cheek, he continued.  “If you want to go out sometime, give me a call.”  He winked and walked off.  As Naruto stumbled back to the booth, his face was red and a goofy grin was on his face.

“Somebody get lucky in the bathroom?”  Sasuke joked.  As Naruto’s eyes got bigger, he grabbed his phone.  Sakura frowned at Sasuke.

“Stop it.  Don’t be mean.”  She scolded.  Everyone looked at him expectantly.  Naruto grinned.

“That really cute silver haired guy put his phone number in my phone after I dropped it when he ran into me.”  Naruto grinned.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and shook his head.  “Dobe, your phone is locked with a fingerprint…there was no way that guy could have put his number in your phone.”  As the smile dropped from Naruto’s face, Naruto realized that Sasuke was right.  His phone locked after like a minute because he didn’t trust his friends not to fuck with his phone.  As he frowned, he unlocked his phone, hoping against hope.  The guy _was_ down here, after all…maybe he was a decent hacker too.  Scrolling through the contacts, he saw a name he didn’t recognize:  _SilverFang_.  His mouth dropped.  Looking around, he couldn’t see the man anymore.

“What?  What’s wrong, Naruto?”  Hinata asked, concerned.

“That guy…he was The SilverFang.”   


	2. Following the Trail

Sasuke let out a short bark of laughter.  “Seriously, Naruto?  You really think that guy is SilverFang?  The legendary hacker who was able to hack the Hokage’s Cipher, the BlackMist, and the Scorpion’s Lair?  The SilverFang who developed Chidori, the exclusive underground web, even more elusive than the darkweb?  C’mon, Naruto…think about it…”  Sasuke paused, eyeing Naruto skeptically.  “No one knows what SilverFang looks like, so _anyone_ , and I mean, _anyone_ could say they were SilverFang.  Doesn’t mean they are.”  Sasuke rolled his eyes as Sakura glared at Sasuke.  The implication was clear, at least in Naruto’s brain, _And why would SilverFang be interested in you?_

“You are such an ass, Sasuke.  There’s nothing to say that SilverFang _isn’t_ that guy.  Like you said, no one knows what SIlverFang looks like, so it’s just as likely he is as he isn’t.  Besides, why would that guy lie to Naruto?  Why would he want to impress a kid?  That guy is like forty years old, at least.”  Sakura huffed, smiling gently at Naruto as Hinata put her head in her hand at Sakura’s harsh-although-trying-to-be-helpful comments.  Naruto slumped more.  He felt worse than before.  Suddenly, his phone beeped.  Grimacing, he looked down at it.

SilverFang:  _If you want confirmation of who I am, go ask GT or CK._

Naruto raised an eyebrow.  GT was the owner of Cire’s, and worked behind the bar.  He was a hacker, and no one knew his real name.  He was 6’5” and at least 400 pounds…he looked like a wall.  His wife, CK, worked there with him.  His wife did most of the drinks and scheduling, he did more of the cooking and security.  CK did most of the job assignments, so Naruto had developed somewhat of a rapport with her.  Walking up, he waited until he got her attention.  “Hey, um, CK, can I ask you a question?”

Her friendly brown eyes looked over at him.  “Sure, Naruto.  But before you start, no, you can’t have free ramen, or free pizza, or free anything.”  She winked at him.  Smoothing some of her brunette locks highlighted with blonde behind her ear, she smiled as she poured a beer for a patron.

“Ha, ha.  No.  I just wanted to know if…well…didja see that guy with the facemask and silver hair that came in earlier?”  Naruto felt his cheeks rising in temperature.

“Yea, so?”  Her eyebrow raised as her husband’s voice came out announcing that an order was up.

“W…who is he?”  Naruto asked, stumbling a bit over his words.

“Too old for you.”  She said with a kind smile and turned to grab the burger and fries sitting on the shelf, waiting to be dispersed to the hungry customer.  Looking at the ticket, she handed it to a customer at the bar.

“No, I’m serious.”  Naruto pouted.  “Look…he put his number in my phone and put it under a name.  My friends were telling me it was a fake name.  Then, out of the blue, he texted saying that to confirm who he was I should go to you or GT.”

CK looked at him as she started mixing a sex on the beach.  “Password?” she asked.

 _Shit._   Naruto looked down.  He saw he missed a text message.  Opening it, he saw:

SilverFang:  _Password is Pakkun._

Naruto looked up, eyes wide.  _Did this guy have a tracking/audio device on me or what?_   With a shaky voice, he cleared his throat.  “P…Pakkun.”  He said, voice strangled.

CK shrugged.  “He’s SilverFang.”

()()()

Naruto lay awake that night, staring at the dark ceiling.  His friends were…stunned, to say the least.  They believed Naruto, because the one thing CK and GT were known for, besides discretion, was their honesty.  They didn’t lie.  They’d rather just tell you they couldn’t answer than lie.  In addition, they swore anonymity to anyone that worked for them.  The honesty helped business, as people knew their secrets were safe with those two.  Also, having a bouncer cook who could pile drive you into next week did not hurt…

Naruto rolled onto his side.  _Why would SilverFang want to talk to me?_   Unable to sleep, Naruto kicked his blankets off, frustrated, got up and walked over to his dresser.  Turning on his light, he sat looking at the statue of the fox with nine tails.  It was what had become known as the Namikaze Kitsune.  His father had given it to him about two years before he passed away.  Minato had finally perfected the chakra and computer security that he wanted and had created the Kitsune.  He had been able to extract Kurama from Naruto and place Kurama into the statue.  Naruto had tried to convince Minato that he and Kurama had an alliance and Naruto didn’t need Kurama extracted.  Minato kept telling Naruto that alliances didn’t last forever, and he didn’t want Naruto burdened with having a demon inside him when that demon could change its mind at any time.  Sighing, Naruto put a hand on the statue.  He missed his mom, his dad, and even Kurama.  Kurama had always felt like a friendly presence, after the alliance.  Looking sadly at the statue, Naruto sighed.    “Kurama, I wish you were still inside me…or I could at least talk to you…I could really use some advice right now…” he whispered, putting his head on the dresser. 

()()()

Naruto opened his eyes at six in the morning, looking at his phone.  He hadn’t slept well the night before, waking up at odd hours of the night, always checking his phone.  SilverFang hadn’t sent anything else.  Frowning, Naruto bit his lip.  He wasn’t sure if this was the smartest thing to do.  Having “slept” on it, he realized that CK had said that SilverFang was too old for Naruto.  CK was kind of a mom to Naruto, ever since Kushina died in that plane crash six years ago.  Looking over at the picture of Kushina, Minato, and Naruto that he kept on his bedside table, Naruto swallowed.  He loved his mom and dad dearly and missed them terribly, the grief from last night welling up in him again.

_“Do you know how I knew your dad was The One?”  Kushina asked, pulling Naruto into her lap._

_“How?”  Naruto asked, snuggling into his mother’s embrace._

_“I couldn’t see anyone else when he was around.  It’s like, the whole world was fuzzy except for him.”  She smiled, kissing Naruto’s head._

_“I still say it’s because you didn’t have your glasses nor your contacts in.  That’s why the whole world was fuzzy.”  Mina chuckled as he walked in, holding the birthday cake with the twenty-six candles on it.  Sitting the cake down in front of Naruto and Kushina, he smiled.  “Make a wish, Kushina.”_

Hearing the knock on the door, Naruto frowned, being jerked back to the present.  It was six fifteen in the morning.  Yawning, he got up, stopping as he heard Sasuke’s voice.  “Hey, Oro…”  Rolling his eyes, Naruto went back to bed, putting some headphones in as he did _not_ want to hear their reunion.  He was happy for Sasuke, but it always made Naruto feel more depressed.  Grabbing his phone and putting some music on, he sighed.  Being alone was not high on his to do list, but he just could not find anyone.  SilverFang was cute…and did give him his number.  Biting his lip, Naruto hit the messages button and sent a message:  _Hey.  Wanna get ramen sometime?_   Hitting send, he lay back, closing his eyes.  What’s done was done.  As nervousness overtook him, he tried to relax and just listen to the music, ignoring the loud moans from the next bedroom.  Feeling his phone vibrate about five minutes later, he pulled his phone out to look.

_Sure.  But ramen for breakfast?  How about meeting me at Cisco’s for brunch at 10?_

Feeling his face heat up, he grinned.  _K._   Feeling like an idiot, but grinning nonetheless, Naruto closed his eyes, listening to music.

()()()

At 9:55, Naruto walked into Cisco’s.  He had started getting ready at 8.  _Kami, I’m such a girl._   Smoothing his jeans, he started fidgeting with his leather bracelets as he got a table, sitting down.  As the waitress sat down two glasses of water, Naruto checked his phone.  Nothing.  He wanted to text “here” but didn’t want to seem needy.  Sitting there, he gnawed at his lip.  He hoped he looked okay.  He had chosen a long sleeved burnt orange sweater.  He didn’t want to wear white and really show off the wearing of his food.

The waitress had checked on Naruto three times.  Looking at his phone, Naruto’s shoulders slumped.  It was 10:15…no text, no SilverFang.  As the waitress came back over for the fourth time, Naruto’s very late date slipped into a seat.  “Sorry, Naruto.  As I was headed here a black cat crossed my path…so I had to take another path.”  His eye crinkled up as he smiled.  Naruto looked up, gulping, face engulfed in red as relief washed through him at not being stood up.

“Huh…oh..i…it’s okay.  I didn’t even notice the time.”  He lied.  As the waitress headed off to give them time to decide what to order, Kakashi looked over the menu.  Naruto glanced at Kakashi.  He had on a mask like people who had the flu had on, his bangs covering his left eye.  He had on an olive tee shirt, his black leather jacket hung over his chair.

As the waitress came back over, both men ordered.  Naruto took a drink of water.  “So, uh…what do you want me to call you?  I don’t think you want me to call you what you texted me.”  He smiled.

Kakashi laughed.  “No, that probably wouldn’t be good.  You can call me Kakashi.”

Naruto started laughing.  “You like Cher?  No last name?”  He chuckled at his own joke.

Kakashi tilted his head, smiling at Naruto under the mask.  “Something like that.”  He mused.  As the waitress sat down their orders, Naruto stared intently, figuring Kakashi would take the mask off.  As Kakashi put the breakfast sushi under his mask, Naruto frowned.  Raising an eyebrow, Kakashi whispered conspirationally, “I’m not that easy.  If you want to see what’s under the mask, you’ve got to earn it.”  Grinning, he continued to eat.

Naruto shivered at Kakashi’s words, but ate his food.  As the men talked, getting to know each other, their likes, dislikes, favorite colors, Naruto suddenly smirked.  As Kakashi looked up with a questioning look, Naruto deadpanned, “What’s your sign?”

Busting out in a deep laugh, Kakashi smiled.  “Probably ‘Do Not Enter’.”  He winked.  “I like being top.”  Blushing and trying not to pass out, Naruto forced out a chuckle, which, to his ears, sounded like a dying donkey braying through a lake full of cottage cheese.  “What about you?”  Kakashi purred.  Having finished eating he placed his hand lightly on Naruto’s.

“Uh…”  Naruto stammered, flustered.

“Maybe, ‘Slippery When Wet’?”  Kakashi offered, enjoying seeing the blush deepen on those attractive cheeks.  As Naruto’s ears turned red, Kakashi chuckled again.  Laying down some money, he stood, slipping on his jacket.  Afterwards, he offered his hand to the blonde.  “Walk with me?”

As Naruto got up, he slid his hand into Kakashi’s.  As the two men walked out, Naruto’s blush still hadn’t faded.

()()()

The walk turned into a late lunch, which turned into a movie, which then turned into dinner.  After dinner, Kakashi bought each of them some dango.  As Naruto devoured his, Kakashi smiled, watching him.  The blonde really was infectious to be around.  He was a happy go lucky kid, who loved all things computers.  Talk had turned to shop talk early, and both shared war stories of some of their exploits.  However, Naruto never mentioned the Kitsune.  Kakashi didn’t want to press the issue and make Naruto suspicious.  He had to get in Naruto’s good graces, get into his house, maybe his bed, and get that password.

Walking Naruto up to his doorstep, Kakashi took in a deep breath, looking up at the starry night.  He had had a very pleasant day.  He was shocked to discover that he had enjoyed spending time with Naruto.  Looking back down at Naruto, Naruto looked up at him expectantly.  Naruto really was very much like a puppy.  Running a hand down Naruto’s cheek, Kakashi smiled.  “Could I see you again?” he asked quietly.

Naruto grinned.  “Sure!  I’d like that.”  Smiling, he pulled his keys out of his pocket.  As Kakashi took the keys from Naruto’s hand, unlocking the door, Naruto gulped.  Leaning down, Kakashi ran his hand over Naruto’s eyes, effectively blinding him as Kakashi held his hand over those blue orbs gently.  He slid the keys back into Naruto’s hand after unlocking the door.  Shivering, Naruto got goosebumps as he felt warm lips press against his as his eyes stared into the blackness of Kakashi’s hand.  Gasping quietly, he left his hands at his sides as he kissed back gingerly.  It felt so good, and he was so nervous, he didn’t know what to do and he didn’t want to screw it up.

“Good night, Naruto.”  Kakashi said quietly as he pulled away.  Pulling his hand down, Naruto noticed Kakashi had just finished sliding the mask back in place.

 


	3. Partners

Naruto whistled as he walked into Cire’s a week later.  He hadn’t seen SilverFang since their “day date”, but they had been texting regularly since then.  He enjoyed their conversations, and really looked forward to them.  CK looked up and smiled at the blonde as he came in.  “Hey, Naruto…you’re looking pretty happy. “she noted. 

Naruto grinned and sat down at the counter.  “Yep!”  Ordering a soda, he smiled at CK as she sat the drink down.  Talking to SilverFang had staved away the loneliness of this past week.  He was young and stupid, but he really felt like he was falling for Kakashi.

“Are you going to make me drag it out of you?  Give me his name…”  CK smiled, raising an eyebrow as she waved her hand in front of Naruto’s eyes.

Naruto blushed.  “W…well, you have to promise not to flip out.”  He stated.  CK sobered as she looked at Naruto.  Crossing her arms, she puffed out a breath.

“Okay.”  CK said slowly as she stared at Naruto.  “And I will respect your decision…But I will happily tell you what I think afterwards.  Deal?”  Naruto nodded.

“I…it’s Kakashi.”  Naruto mumbled, looking down at his soda, waiting for the reaction.  When none came for three minutes, he looked up.  CK was standing there, staring at Naruto, her mouth slightly open, eyes wide.  Naruto opened his mouth for a retort, when CK interrupted him. 

“He told you his name?”

()()()

Naruto was playing a video game.  After CK said what she did, a horde of teens came in and she didn’t have time to finish their conversation.  However, her shocked expression stayed in his mind.  None of his friends were there, so he was just trying to escape.  Suddenly, his phone beeped.  Looking down, he saw the text from CCC:   _Trident_

Naruto finished his game and went to the counter.  CCC was code for “Cire’s Computer Company”…not really an official name, but Naruto’s code on his phone.  Trident was code for a job was waiting.  CK looked up as Naruto went to the standard “Get a job” spot, one corner of the counter, the teens still occupying her time.  Naruto smiled at them.  He used to be like them…but he was much more serious about hacking.  It was almost an obsession with him.

Grabbing a plain white envelope, CK handed it to Naruto.  Taking it, he headed off to a table.  Pulling out his laptop and putting his earbuds in, he snuggled down into a booth.  Putting some music on, he opened the envelope.  Pulling out the debit card as well as the SD card, he slid the SD card in the slot as he looked at how much the job was paying.  After the SD card loaded, he looked at the file marked trident, which was always the information file.  After reading the details of the job, he shrugged.  Not too hard.  Breaking into a bank, deleting some employee files, nothing major.  As he started working on his job, a message popped up on his screen:

              _Really, your security is rather lax._

Naruto looked up and around.

              _Get out, or I will fuck your shit up._  

Naruto responded as he started to backtrack the IP address of the incoming message.  The message was a black box with white text, so Naruto knew it was one computer talking to another, not a chatroom nor messenger or anything like that.  He wasn’t on those anyways. 

              _I think not.  In fact, I’ll fuck your shit up, as you say._

And his computer shut down.

“What the fuck?” Naruto growled, starting his computer back up.  Looking around, he saw several people on their computers.  Frowning, he booted his laptop off the network and viewed his event log and firewall to look for that IP address that hit his system.  After finding it, he got on a hidden network that only a handful of people knew.  Before he could trace it, another box popped up. 

              _Impressive; of course, I spoofed IPs._

Naruto growled, starting to backtrack that new IP address.  Pulling out a small device, he plugged it into his computer, to encrypt his system and stop the computer from being shut down.  As he finished backtracking the IP address, he saw that it was from Cire’s.  Frowning, Naruto looked around, not recognizing anyone.  Shaking his head, he went back to work. 

              _Nice, but I can decrypt things too._ Another box popped up.

“Damnit!”  Naruto growled, but grinned.  “Gotcha.” He said as all of a sudden, very loud moaning and groaning came from a computer in the corner as porn popped up on the intruder’s screen.  Smirking, Naruto stood up, grabbing his laptop and heading over to the corner.  Naruto assumed the intruder had a strong firewall, so Naruto had waited for the intruder’s incoming connection string to boomerang back a porn Trojan.  Naruto’s jaw dropped as he saw the silver hair and the onyx eye that looked up as the intruder shut the moaning computer down.

“Well done.”  Kakashi praised.  Motioning to a spot in the booth next to him, Kakashi scooted over, making room for Naruto. 

Sitting down, Naruto playfully scowled at Kakashi.  “I gotta job to do and you are screwing around with me.”  Opening his laptop back up, Naruto got back into the bank and deleted the employee account.  Copying the information for evidence, he saved it and put it on the SD card.  Returning it to CK, she nodded.  Naruto knew the other half of the fee would be deposited on the card within fifteen minutes.

“Well, I must say that you did your job well…and quickly, even with the distractions I provided.  Thank you, by the way, for erasing my friend’s files.”  Kakashi was smirking as Naruto’s shock turned into a punch in the arm.

“Dick.”  Naruto grinned as Kakashi chuckled.  “Did you just test me?”

“Of course.”  Kakashi demurred.  “I did have a good time with you, and have enjoyed talking with you this past week, but I had to make sure you were up to par.” 

“Hmm, well, maybe I need to do something similar.  I mean, I hear all the stories about the SilverFang…but how do I know they are true?”  Naruto fake rubbed his chin as if he was thinking.  “Or maybe, you’re just getting old…”

Kakashi stiffened, looking affronted.  “I may be old, but I’m still good.”  He said.  “I broke through your security…ALL of them.  And by the way…why would you wear an orange jumpsuit to the amusement park?” Kakashi asked, referencing a picture saved on Naruto’s desktop.

“What the fuck?”  Naruto pouted.  Huffing, he looked at Kakashi sideways.  “Yea, yea, I guess so.  But you can’t beat me at Dance, Dance Revolution.”  He smirked.

“Challenge accepted.”  Kakashi grinned.  As both men got up, they went to the video game.  Both were fast, and both kept up for a long time, but Kakashi finally missed a step.  Smirking, Naruto danced a couple more steps before stepping down.  Kakashi was breathing heavily, his hair sweaty and sticking to his forehead.  Naruto thought he hadn’t ever seen anything sexier.

Naruto was looking rather sexy as well, Kakashi thought, Naruto’s blonde hair sticking to his forehead.  “Well, are you hungry?”  Kakashi asked.

“Yea, actually.”  Naruto huffed, smiling.

“Bet I am a better cook.”  Kakashi taunted.  Naruto blushed, and just shrugged, with a mumbled “probably.”

“Well then, why don’t I cook something?  I’m a good cook.”  Kakashi offered.

Naruto’s mouth salivated.  He had not had home cooked food since his dad died.  Neither he nor Sasuke cooked.  They microwaved a great deal of things, and ate a great deal of instant food.  “Okay.”  Naruto agreed.

“Anything in particular you like?  I’ll have to go to the store.  Oh, and you’ll have to let me cook at your place.”  Kakashi stated.

“Why?”  Naruto asked, confused.

“Because I still don’t trust you to know where I live.  And you, foolish boy, showed me where you live.”  Kakashi noted, winking at Naruto.

“Oh.”  Naruto blushed.  “B…but I don’t have a reason not to trust you.”  Naruto pointed out as Kakashi got up, slipping on his jacket.  Naruto noted Kakashi had on that black mask again. 

“Hn?”  Kakashi murmured.  He couldn’t believe that Naruto could be so naïve and trusting.  Offering his hand to Naruto, Naruto grabbed it and they headed out to the store.  Naruto stopped and looked at Kakashi as they approached the store.  “Why would someone be after me?”  Naruto asked.  Kakashi opened the door for Naruto.  As Kakashi grabbed a basket, following Naruto in, Kakashi shook his head.  He couldn’t believe this kid could be that dense.

“Later.”  Kakashi promised.  Naruto nodded as he followed Kakashi.

“I’ve been thinking…can you make homemade ramen?”  Naruto asked.

“Of course.”  Kakashi responded, as he started grabbing the necessary items.  After checking out, Kakashi and Naruto went to Naruto’s home.  As Naruto unlocked the door, he walked in, looking to see if Sasuke was there.  Kakashi followed, brown paper grocery bag of food in his hand.

“Sasuke?”  Naruto called out.  Verifying that no one was home, Naruto motioned for Kakashi to go into the kitchen.  As Kakashi sat about cooking, Naruto sat at the bar.  Putting his chin in his hands, he looked at Kakashi.  “So…?”  Referring to the earlier conversation Kakashi had promised to finish.

“You don’t even think that someone might be after you?” Kakashi asked conversationally as he worked on the dish.

“No, there’s nothing special about me.”  Naruto said.

“Really?”  Kakashi asked.  “Are you seriously that humble, or that stupid?”  He asked bluntly.

“Hey!”  Naruto said, face getting red.  “What the hell?”

Kakashi stirred the vegetables and then turned to face Naruto.  “Naruto, your name is well known in the computer world, and sadly, not even because of your ability.  Which by the way is amazing.  Everyone wants the Namikaze Kitsune.  Please don’t tell me you don’t know that.”  He crossed his arms and looked at Naruto, who went pale.

“Y…you know about the Kitsune?”  Naruto stammered.

“Naruto, everyone knows about the Kitsune.”  Kakashi said.

Naruto looked up at Kakashi like a lost little puppy.  “I…is that why you are with me?  You want Kurama?”  Naruto asked, sounding like a small child.

Kakashi eyed Naruto.  Moment of truth.  He had only known this kid one week.  He wasn’t going to blow his reputation or his job on Naruto.  However, he did think Naruto needed to be a little bit more aware.  Besides, this was the best way in.  Staring Naruto straight in the eyes, “Of course not, Naruto.  If I were, why would I point it out to you?  I just think you need to be more aware.”  Kakashi stated, plating his dish.  Looking over at Naruto, Naruto looked worried.

“What’s with the look?”  Kakashi asked as he sat the plates down at the table.

“I...I mean, it’d be really dangerous if anyone else got Kurama.”  Naruto said, looking at Kakashi, his eyes worried.

“Please tell me you have thought about this before and put safeguards in?”  Kakashi asked.  _There was no way the kid could be that naïve._

“W…well, no.  I mean, I know what’s going on with it, but I didn’t think it was important to anyone else.”  Naruto blushed.

“Have you even been aware of the computer world for the last five or so years?”  Kakashi asked in shock.  _How could this kid, who was really quite a good hacker, not know about the most difficult hacker job of all_?  “You at least have it locked away, safely, right?”  Kakashi asked, food forgotten.

Naruto’s eyes darted to a room behind Kakashi.  _Well, shit…he keeps it right in here.  Damnit._   “Y…yea, of course.”  Naruto responded.

Kakashi decided to drop it for now.  He now knew where it was, so that was a plus.  His plan was going perfectly.  “Well, good.”  Sitting down, he picked up his chopsticks.  Looking up, Naruto looked nauseous.  “Naruto?  Are you okay?  Do you not like my food?  You can tell me, of course, you won’t hurt my feelings.”

Naruto just shook his head no.  “I…I haven’t tried it.  Now…well, now I just don’t know what to think, or who to trust.  I always thought Dad was overreacting about the Kitsune.”  He fiddled with his chopsticks, not eating anything. 

Kakashi sighed.   “Naruto, I’ll help you protect it.  And here…”  He said, causing Naruto to look up at him.  Slipping his mask down, he gave a small smile.  “Does that help?”

Naruto just stared.  Kakashi was absolutely gorgeous.  A slim jawline with a beauty mark underneath his lip.  A straight nose, not too big, not too small.  “O…oh yea.  That helps.  And thanks for offering the help!”  Naruto admitted.  That was definitely a face he could trust…especially since Kakashi trusted the secret of his face with Naruto.  Smiling, Naruto’s hunger returned.  “Thanks.”  Naruto said, and started eating.  As the flavors danced across his taste buds, he hummed in approval.  “Mmm, yea, this is amazing!”  Grinning, he dug in.

“Good, I’m glad.”  Kakashi smiled and started eating.  Pushing down the small feeling of guilt, Kakashi stared at Naruto from under his bangs.  Showing his face and explaining about Naruto’s idiotic trustfulness was definitely the right thing to do. _I should have the password by the end of the week…_ He ignored the tiny part of his brain that asked, _but do I want it?_

 


	4. Traitor in the Midst

After dinner, Kakashi went about cleaning up as Sasuke walked in, Orochimaru following.  “Naruto?” Sasuke called out.

“Yea?”  Naruto called back, coming out of the kitchen, holding a towel.   He had been drying the dishes as Kakashi washed them. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him as Naruto nodded at the pair.  “Oreo.”

Orochimaru just scowled and flopped on the couch.  “Just seeing if you were home. Thanks for doing dishes.”  Sasuke replied after noticing the towel.

Naruto shrugged.  “Kakashi made me dinner, and then insisted on doing the dishes.  I at least needed to dry them and put them up.” Naruto responded.  

Sasuke’s eyebrow raised so far as to hide under his bangs.  “Kakashi?”

Naruto shrugged.  “Yea, the guy from Cire’s.  Turns out he’s not SilverFang...well, not  _ the _ SilverFang we were thinking of, but he goes by that name as well.  CK just said he was SilverFang, not  _ the _ SilverFang.”  Naruto finished as Kakashi walked out, mask back in place.  Sighing quietly in relief, Kakashi lay a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. 

“Wow.  Um, okay.”  Sasuke said as Naruto felt Kakashi tense.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at Kakashi.  “C’mon, let’s go in the bedroom.” Grabbing Kakashi’s hand, he led him towards his room as Sasuke flipped on the television.  After leading Kakashi into the bedroom and shutting the door, he turned to Kakashi. “What gives? Why so pressed?”

Kakashi looked around the room.  The room was simple, a bed against the wall...well, bed was a generous term.  There was a mattress on the floor. There was a huge desk in the corner with three towers, 2 laptops and five computer screens, all surrounding a comfy looking gaming chair.  A dresser was against the wall at the foot of the mattress, clothes everywhere. And on the top of the dresser was a small statue of a bijuu...a demon fox with nine tails. The Namikaze Kitsune.  Kakashi cringed at not only the messiness of the room but at the complete lack of security for the statue.  _ Had Namikaze not told his son of the value of the statue before he died? _

Kakashi looked at Naruto.  “I know Orochimaru. He’s a hacker as well.  That’s all.”

Naruto cocked his head to the side.  “Really? I didn’t know he was into computers that much.  He works in a factory. Oh well.” Naruto shrugged. Suddenly shy, he fiddled with his shirt.  “I, uh...I didn’t mean anything by bringing you in here...I just wanted to know why you were so tight, and there’s no other place with priv…”  Naruto was unable to finish as Kakashi bent down, having pulled his mask back down again, and kissing Naruto gently. As Naruto’s stomach fluttered with butterflies again, he pressed back, gently.  Kakashi ran his tongue along Naruto’s closed mouth. Gasping quietly at the electricity that shot through him at that simple gesture, Naruto’s mouth opened. As Kakashi’s tongue plundered the moist cave, Naruto’s breathing quickened.  Pulling back, Kakashi winked.

“Thanks for keeping my secret.”  Kakashi whispered. Naruto’s face was red and his breathing shaky.

“S...sure.  I...I figured you wouldn’t want everyone to know.”  Naruto whispered.

“Want me to show you around Chidori?”  Kakashi asked.

Naruto’s eyes lit up.  He couldn’t even get into Chidori...none of his friends could.  The security was  _ that _ good.  Shaking his head in excitement, he led Kakashi over to his computers.  Smirking, Kakashi opened one up, and set to work.

()()()

“How do you do all this?”  Naruto asked, eyes shining in wonder like a kid seeing the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.  Kakashi chuckled. Naruto was quite likeable.

“I’m that good.”  Kakashi murmured. Standing up, he stretched and looked at his watch.  It was about ten at night. The tv was still on in the living room, and he hadn’t heard the door open or close, so he assumed Orochimaru was still there.  Which brought up another problem.

“Naruto...can I ask you about Orochimaru?”  Kakashi didn’t want to broach the subject, but he had to.

“Sure, what?” Naruto asked, hiding a yawn.

“How long has he been coming over here?”

Naruto shrugged, scrunching up his eyebrows.  “I dunno...maybe a year or so?” Naruto looked at Kakashi oddly.  “WHy?”

Kakashi sighed.  “Orochimaru is a thief and a hacker.  Has anything gone missing from your home since he’s been here?”

Naruto frowned, cutting his eyes up, thinking.  “Not that I can think of, no.”

Kakashi sighed in relief.  “Good, maybe he’s reformed.  But, you really need to think of a safer place for the Kitsune.”  Kakashi pointed out.

“Yea...maybe.”  Naruto said hesitantly, eyeing the statue.

“Does Orochimaru usually spend the night?”  Kakashi pressed.

“Sometimes.”  Naruto sat down in his chair, after grabbing the statute and holding it in his hand.

“Does he leave before you all do?”  Kakashi questioned further.

Naruto shrugged.  “Sometimes. Other times he stays.  He has a key.”

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose.  What he had said was true. And the last thing he wanted to do was fail at the job because Orochimaru stole the damn statute.  Kakashi didn’t believe in coincidences, and he didn’t believe it was just happenstance that Orochimaru was here. And, if for some cosmically funny reason Orochimaru didn’t know about the statue, he was going to by tomorrow.  Orochimaru knew Kakashi, too. And Orochimaru knew Kakashi didn’t date. So, logically, Orochimaru knew there was something in this house drawing him here. If Orochimaru didn’t steal it, he would blow Kakashi’s cover.

“Here.  Come and spend the night with me, bringing the statue.  I don’t trust Orochimaru and don’t expect you to just hand the statue over to me for safekeeping.”  Kakashi responded. He wasn’t keen on showing Naruto his home, but he didn’t see any other viable option.

Naruto looked at the statue, then up at Kakashi.  “Okay.”

Kakashi just shook his head.  Naruto grabbed the statue, tossing it in a bag with a change of clothes.  Kakashi had noted it was an ornate statue, but he didn’t see anything special about it.  But that wasn’t his problem. He just had to get the password.

Taking the bag, his phone and wallet, Naruto looked up at Kakashi.  “Ready?” Nodding, Kakashi opened the door. As they walked out, Naruto didn’t say anything, as Sasuke just looked at the two as they left.

()()()

Unlocking the door to his apartment, Kakashi grabbed Naruto’s hand and let him in.  Naruto’s eyes were huge as he took in the decorations. The room was decorated in blacks, silvers, and grays.  There was a dark marble bar to one side with a decent amount of alcohol on the racks.

Naruto whistled lowly.  Naruto knew these apartments did not come cheap.  Kakashi had to be  _ the _ SilverFang.  That would explain the money.  Naruto went over to the large floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the city.

“Like what you see?”  Kakashi asked as he moved his head to hover over Naruto’s shoulder.  Jumping, Naruto swallowed as he shivered involuntarily.

“Y...yea.”  Naruto agreed.  “It’s really beautiful.”  Moving over, he went and sat his duffel bag down on the couch.  Looking at the flat screen television, he noticed there was no computer in the room.  “Where’s your computer?” Naruto asked curiously.

Kakashi grinned.  Cocking his head to a hallway in a come hither gesture, he led Naruto to a room.  Opening the door, Naruto frowned. Kakashi led him into a room no bigger than a closet, and the wall that faced the door was floor to ceiling books.  Kakashi walked over and pulled out a book Naruto noticed was called “Death Note.” and looked like the notebook in said anime. As he pulled it out ninety degrees, the book shelf split into two and opened up into a large room with floor to waist high televisions, about ten of them.  Sitting in front of that was a chair with   a retractable monitor stand that had four monitors, a reclining seat with thigh rest, a Bose sound system, and Italian leather upholstery.

“HOly shit, Kakashi!”  Naruto gasped, rushing up to the chair.  Looking back at Kakashi with a questioning glance, Kakashi smirked and nodded.  As Naruto clambered into the chair, his eyes glazed over a bit, drool on his lips.  As he ooohed and aahed over the gadgets, Kakashi just smirked. Naruto really was cute, especially when he got all excited about things.  Pulling out his phone, Kakashi typed in his password, powering up the system so Naruto could use it.

“Good morning, Kakashi.  What would you like to hack today?”  A soothing female voice asked from the computer.  Naruto looked over his shoulder and grinned.

“Whatcha want me to hack, Kashi?”  Naruto grinned, excited to prove himself.  Chuckling, Kakashi held up a finger as he left.  Grabbing another chair, he pulled it in and sat next to Naruto.  

“Well, what would you like to hack?”  Kakashi asked. Naruto bit his bottom lip as he thought, then he grinned as his eyes lit up and his eyebrows shot up.  

“Got it!”  As Naruto spoofed his IP address, he then went and started giggling fiendishly.  As Kakashi leaned over, he saw that Naruto was on a laptop that had a grim reaper reaching through the screen, with a matrix style of code in lines behind him.  Watching, Kakashi saw Naruto pull up and put a fluffy kitten sitting in a teacup as the background screensaver. Winking at Kakashi, he got out of the system.

“Sasuke?”  Kakashi asked mildly.

“Yep.”  Naruto chuckled.  As Naruto kept messing around, breaking the security of different places, Kakashi leaned back, watching Naruto.  He had to admit, Naruto was extremely attractive. He’d grown to like Naruto’s company. Which concerned him. He needed to end this quickly before he became attached.  He hadn’t ever before, but he was having an unusual and uncomfortable attraction to Naruto.

Naruto looked over after a while, yawning.  “So, where do I sleep?” Naruto asked as he left the computer area.

“You can sleep in my bed.  I’ll sleep on the couch.” Kakashi offered.

Naruto frowned.  “That’s not right.  I don’t want to kick you out of your bed, especially when you are trying to help me.”  He pointed out.

Kakashi smiled.  “It’s fine.” Getting up, he led Naruto to his room, grabbing a pillow and blanket and heading to the living room.  As he made his bed on the couch, the elder man yawned as well, drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Naruto looked around the bedroom.  It was plain, almost Spartan. There was a large, king size bed made of wrought iron, a plain black dresser with a mirror above it, and silver curtains.  There was no art of any kind. Naruto felt like it was lonely. Laying down, he wondered if maybe, just maybe, Kakashi was just as lonely as he was.

()()()

A couple hours later, Kakashi slid out of the couch and crept down the hall.  Opening the door to his room quietly, he heard Naruto snoring. Tiptoeing into the room, he opened the duffel bag and grabbed the statue.  Sneaking out Kakashi went to his computer room, squelching the guilt growing in his gut.. Shutting the door, he sat the statute down and went to work.

As Kakashi looked at the code surrounding the security, he noticed it was RSA.  Sighing, he knew this was going to be a pain in the ass. Basically, RSA is an asymmetric cryptography algorithm which works on two different keys, the public one and the private one.  Kakashi started searching for the the public key, slipping into a few different security banks until he found it. After entering that key, he then set about trying to determine the private key.  After three hours of nothing, Kakashi finally looked over at the door. He knew the private key changed every twenty-four hours. So there had to be a loop that was created of keys...the problem was, he didn’t know how many keys Minato thought to put in place.  Thinking for a moment, his eyes lit up. It was a rumor that Naruto was a demon container...and Naruto said it would be dangerous for the statute to get out.  _ Could it be...was Naruto truly a jinchurriki? _  Raising an eyebrow, Kakashi typed in narutoisthejinchurriki.  As the statute glowed, the eyes glowed red. “Finally...you’ve broken the code.  Now, let me out.” A deep, sinister voice growled. Goosebumps pebbled the silverette’s skin.  Putting the password back in place, Kakashi ran a hand through his bangs. His only thought was,  _ What do I do now? _


	5. Depression

Naruto woke up, staring at the ceiling, disoriented for a moment.  Where was he?  _Oh, right, Kakashi’s place.  I came over ‘cause of Orochimaru._ Yawning, Naruto got up.  Digging through his bag, he moved the statue and pulled out some jeans and a tee shirt.  Slipping them on, he walked out.  Looking around as he padded out, he saw Kakashi sitting on the couch, laptop in his lap.  He was in serious thought, as he was just staring at the screen.  As Naruto walked up, Kakashi looked up.  The sun shone on Kakashi’s mask less face.  Naruto liked the naked face.  Sitting down next to Kakashi, Naruto pulled out his phone and checked his messages, saying nothing.

Kakashi closed his laptop after a few minutes.  Looking at Naruto, he sighed.  “Naruto, I need you to be completely honest with me.”

“Okay, sure.  What’s up?”  Naruto asked his face bright and open.

Kakashi frowned.  He knew this was not going to go well.  “What is in the statue?”

Naruto’s eyes slanted as he squinted suspiciously at Kakashi.  “Why?”

“Naruto…” sighing, Kakashi rubbed his face with his hands.  “I’ve broken the password to the statue.”  He ignored the audible swallow from Naruto.  “Some…thing…wanted me to release it.  I’ve put the safeguards back in place and contained…whatever it is.”  Looking at Naruto, the blonde’s arms were crossed defensively, his face sullen.  Kakashi felt compelled to continue.  “I’ve been hired to retrieve the password.  I’ve figured out the security and the password sequence.  But what I need to know from you is if I should sell it or not.”  Kakashi stared impassively at Naruto.

Naruto’s eyes widened as he blinked slowly several times.  As he felt the knot develop in his throat, he blinked back the tears.  _It was all an act.  Kakashi had no interest in me outside of the statue.  Of course._   Naruto bit back the bitter retort.  Naruto was used to it. No one ever wanted Naruto for Naruto.  They either wanted him because of his dad, because of the money he would get, or because of his hacking ability.  Naruto had never felt lonelier.  Looking down from Kakashi, Naruto answered in a monotone.  “The nine tailed fox demon, Kurama, was sealed in me at birth.  It’s a family curse.  Mom and Dad wanted to figure out a way to get the soul out of me, as they were always worried that Kurama would take me over.  Dad was good with technology, and Mom was good with chakra.  Together they figured out a way to seal Kurama’s soul in a statue with an unbreakable…” he broke off with a harsh laugh “security.  Dad extracted it from me, even though I told him Kurama and I had a truce.  He said truces could be broken.”  Naruto recited rotely from memory.

“The Nine Tails Demon?”  Kakashi asked, his eyes widening.

“Yea.”  Naruto mumbled.  Both men sat silent for a few moments.  Finally, Naruto broke the silence.  “Ya know what?  I don’t care if you sell the password or not.  I don’t care what happens.  Keep the statue.  I’m tired of being cursed.  Maybe…never mind….Just leave me alone.”  Naruto jumped up, grabbing his shoes and headed out, shutting the door quietly behind him.  Naruto’s hurt and shattered face was burned into Kakashi’s memory.

()()()

After Naruto left, Kakashi went to the bedroom where Naruto had left his bag.  Pulling out the statue, Kakashi looked at it for a long time.  He had figured out the rest of the cycle, that was true.  He wanted Naruto’s reaction, which was also true.  However, what he didn’t know was _why_ he wanted Naruto’s input.  His job was complete…he just had to turn the information in.  _Why, then do I feel like shit?_   Sighing, he took a shower and got dressed.  Slipping the statue in his pocket (it was not that big), he headed out. 

()()()

It was like that for the next few days.  Kakashi would get up, keep the statue with him, and do his errands.  He would come home, and just…sit in the dark.  He didn’t really want to surf the web or do… _anything_ really.  Finally, Friday, he got an email asking for a progress report on the job.  Frowning, he felt the statue in his pocket.  Walking out, he went about doing his errands, trying to determine what to do in response to the email.  It didn’t take him long to finish his errands, then he just walked around aimlessly.  He still hadn’t decided what to do with the statue.  Seeing the sign on the bar, Kakashi had walked in.

Kakashi shuddered as the memories flooded him; throwing back another whiskey, his eyes bleary.  That was about eight whiskeys ago.  Kakashi had sat through the afternoon sun, the shadows dancing long across his face as evening barged in.  _What was this I was feeling?_

“You look like you just got dumped.”  A familiar voice said as a man slid up next to Kakashi.  “Except you never get close enough to anyone to get dumped.”  As Kakashi slung a sideways glance at the intruder of his self-imposed solitude, he gave a self-indulgent chuckle.

“Maa, Iruka…how long has it been?”  Kakashi asked, signaling the bartender to bring over two more drinks.

“Six months or so?”  Iruka guessed, taking the glass and taking a sip, grimacing at the taste, but too polite not to finish it.

Slinging an arm over Iruka’s shoulder, Kakashi smiled.  “Far too long, mah friend.  ‘S been far too long.”  Throwing it back, he chuckled, motioning for another.

Iruka had known Kakashi for about fifteen years.  Sighing, Iruka looked at Kakashi.  It wasn’t like Kakashi to overindulge, and Iruka had only seen Kakashi drunk once…when his father died.  Kakashi was a lonely person; he wore it like a cloak…whether for protection or as a barrier, Iruka didn’t know.

“So what are we drinking to?”  Iruka asked kindly.

“Ruining a kid’s life.”  Kakashi slurred a tone of self-deprecation in his voice.

“Oh?”  Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yea.”  Kakashi threw back another.

Iruka looked at the bartender, who was making the “cut-off” sign.  Nodding, Iruka looked back at Kakashi.  “Let’s get you back home, okay?  I have a problem with my computer, and I know you could fix it…”  Iruka pulled Kakashi’s wallet out, handing a card to the bartender.  As Kakashi leaned heavily against Iruka, Iruka signed the receipt, leaving a hefty tip for the bartender.  Slipping the card back into Kakashi’s wallet, he slipped the wallet back in Kakashi’s pocket.  Helping the silver haired drunk out, the two men started hobbling towards Kakashi’s house.

“I…I r’lly screwed up.  He’s a nice kid, an’ I fucked up him life.”  Kakashi slurred.

“Who is this?”  Iruka asked.  He knew Kakashi dabbled in computers and was good at it.  He thought Kakashi might be dabbling in criminal enterprises, but he ignored it.

“Uzumaki.”  Kakashi slurred.

“Um…Uzumaki?”  Iruka asked.  “Is that his first name?”

“Nah…’is first name is …” Kakashi suddenly stopped, staring at a group of teens walking down the sidewalk.  “Naruto?”  He seemed to be staring at a blonde male who was talking to a brunette girl and rosette girl.  The blonde looked up, blue eyes widening.

“Kakashi?  Are you okay?”  The blonde asked in concern, starting to walk towards Kakashi, and then stopped.  The look on his face was uncomfortable to say the least.  The pink girl smiled and nudged Naruto.

“It’s okay…go on with him.  We’ll catch up later.”  The rosette said.  As Naruto tried to argue, the rosette wrapped her arm around the brunette and they walked off, giggling.  Looking over her shoulder, the pink girl winked an eye at Naruto.  Turning, Naruto looked confused at the two men.

“Um, is your last name Uzumaki?”  Iruka asked.

“Yea, why?”  Naruto asked, looking at the man with the scar on his nose.

“I’m Iruka.  Umino, Iruka.  I think…uh…”  Iruka looked between the two.  He knew Kakashi was a private person, so he didn’t feel like he should share what Kakashi was rambling about.  Although, to be fair, Iruka wasn’t really sure _what_ Kakashi was rambling about.  “I think you two need to talk.”  Iruka fumbled.  He looked back at Kakashi to make sure he was still standing.  He had leaned Kakashi against the wall, and Kakashi was staring at Naruto like he was the last man on earth.  Iruka had never seen Kakashi look at _anyone_ that way.  _Could it be the Ice King Kakashi was in love?_   Iruka’s eyes widened as he looked at the blonde.

“There’s nothing we need to talk about.”  Naruto stated tiredly.

“Um, kid…Kakashi doesn’t get drunk.  Moreover, he _definitely_ doesn’t say he fucked up.  But he’s done both tonight.  Somehow, it involves you.  So, give him a chance and talk to him?  But do it now, because once he sobers up, he’ll clam up and become silent as a tomb.”  Iruka offered kindly.

Naruto looked up at the brunette with the kind brown eyes.  He had never seen that guy around before.  He didn’t seem like a hacker either.  How he knew Kakashi was beyond Naruto, but he wanted to trust this Iruka guy.

“Fine.  I’ll take him home.  He doesn’t live very far from here.”  Naruto said, going over to position himself under Kakashi’s shoulder.  Iruka’s eyes widened.  Kakashi had shown this kid his home?  Kakashi had it bad.  Nodding, the blonde helped the silverette on his way.  Iruka mentally made a note to check on Kakashi tomorrow.  He would need to see how it went and smooth things over so his bank account didn’t show -$1,319.80 and his status hadn’t been set to “Most Wanted” with Interpol.

()()()

Kakashi didn’t say much of anything as Naruto helped him to his house.  Naruto was actually somewhat glad for that.  If there were going to be some kind of theatrics, he knew that Kakashi would not want it to be done in public.  However, why he even cared about Kakashi’s feelings, he didn’t know.  The guy had obviously used him just to get to that damn statue.  That statue seemed like it might be a bigger curse than Kurama was.

Grabbing Kakashi’s keys out of his pockets, Naruto unlocked the door.  Ushering Kakashi in, Naruto turned and shut the door.  Having his back to Kakashi, he heard the unimaginable…he heard… _sniffling?_   Turning back around, there was SilverFang, on the floor of his apartment, tears running down his face.  Naruto immediately sunk to his knees in front of Kakashi.  “What’s wrong, Kakashi?  Are you hurt?”  Concerned blue eyes stared into pain filled onyx ones.

Kakashi looked up.  He’d fucked up so bad with this kid.  He could admit, in his drunken state, that he was in pain.  He…hurt.  “Naruto…I’m sorry.” 

Naruto looked at Kakashi, confused.  “Sorry for what?”

“I…I used you.  I hurt you.  I didn’t set out to do that.  Well, I mean, that was the job, but I didn’t set out to hurt you.  I wasn’t sitting around thinking “Oh…let’s hurt this kid.”  I didn’t even know you.  I was just hired for a job.  Your statue is the most valuable statue in the criminal underworld.  And they wanted the best to crack it.  So they called me.  I took the job…I didn’t know you, how sweet you were, how kind, how funny, nor how handsome.  I didn’t know how… _good_ …you were.  I never woulda took it.  I’m a bad person.”  Kakashi’s face looked haunted as he drunkenly ranted.

“Kakashi, I don’t think you’re a bad pers…”  Naruto started before Kakashi cut him off.

“No, Naruto…’M a bad person.  I…I’ve killed people.”  Kakashi blurted as Naruto’s eyes got wide and he moved to scoot away.  Kakashi slumped as the energy left him.  “Yea, I…I killed my best friend, Obito.  He was a great guy.  And, one night, he asked me to come pick him up from a bar.  I told him I was heading that way, just let me finish the code I was working on.  Well, I got lost in the code and realized two hours later that I hadn’t went to pick him up.  I drove there as fast as I could…but he’d already left.  As I drove to his house…I saw it….the police cars and ambulance.  They told me he was dead on impact.”  Kakashi closed his eyes.  Naruto reached out, grabbing Kakashi’s hand.  “I shoulda never let him get close to me.  See, I was bad since I was a baby.  I killed my mom.  I killed her by being born.  I came into this world and took her out of it.  You have to be reeeeal bad to do that.”  Kakashi’s self-deprecating laugh was the only sound in the quiet apartment.  “So, I shoulda stayed away from you.  And then, as I got to know you, I started feeling funny things.  Here.”  He gripped his chest.  “An’ we had only known each other about a week...so I knew I had to get done quick.  I didn’t’ know what I was feeling, an’ I’m still not sure, but I knew it wasn’t good for you.  I’m not good for you.  I don’t have friends…or lovers…for a reason.  They are messy.  And I’m not good.  I’m a bad person.”  The tears still slipped from Kakashi’s eyes as Naruto sat, listening to his ramblings.

“Kakashi, I’m not real great with things either, but…it sounds like, maybe…you are falling in love with me?”  Naruto asked, still holding Kakashi’s hand.

Kakashi bowed his head.  “You don’t deserve that.”  He slurred.

“I think you’ve been lonely for a long time.  You don’t deserve that either.”  Naruto said, scooting closer to Kakashi and putting a hand on Kakashi’s cheek.  Kakashi looked up at Naruto, eyes haunted still.  “I’m falling in love with you Kakashi.  I’m happy around you.  And, I think, you’re happy around me, too.  Don’t we both deserve that?”  Naruto asked, blue eyes shining with sincerity.

“Don’ matter what I deserv…”  Kakashi couldn’t finish as Naruto leaned up, capturing Kakashi’s lips in a kiss.  Moaning quietly, Kakashi wrapped his arms around Naruto, his alcohol addled brain not able to put up a fight to the exquisite feelings he was feeling as that mouth invaded his.  As both men kissed, chastely, Naruto pulled away first.

“I’m not an angel, either, Kakashi.  But we deserve what makes us happy.  And you…the _real you_ …makes me happy.”  Naruto admitted.  Kakashi sighed, laying his head on Naruto’s shoulder.  As the two men sat there silently for a bit, Naruto felt more of Kakashi’s weight on him until…a small snore escaped from Kakashi. 

The SilverFang had fallen asleep.

 


	6. Persistence

Kakashi’s head throbbed as he gingerly opened his eyes.  It tasted like something had died in his mouth.  Groaning, he started to roll over to get up…and froze.  His eyes widened as he saw the blonde nestled against him.  _Oh, shit…_ Taking stock quickly, he realized he was still clothed.  _Well, that was good._   A quiet sigh escaped his lips.  Analyzing the situation, Kakashi frowned; trying to wiggle out from underneath Naruto’s slumbering form without waking him up would prove to be difficult, since Naruto was laying on top of Kakashi.  As Kakashi wiggled, Naruto mumbled and opened those blue eyes at him.  “Morning.”  Naruto grinned.

Kakashi stiffened.  “Morning.”  Clearing his throat, he frowned slightly.  “Um…Naruto…why?”  His onyx eyes raked over both their bodies.

Naruto grinned, sitting up, effectively straddling Kakashi.  “You got very, _very_ drunk last night.  You basically confessed your love to me.”  Naruto chirped, shrugging his shoulders as he grinned big.  Kakashi stiffened.

“I did no such thing.”  He sniffed.  He honestly could not remember what he had done the night before.  Was it possible that he had been _That_ Drunk Guy?  He was _That_ Drunk Guy who blubbered emotions long repressed?  He was _That_ Drunk Guy who got so drunk that he couldn’t remember what he did…or with whom?  Kakashi was mortified with the thought that he was _That_ Drunk Guy.  He did not want to be _That_ Drunk Guy.  Looking at Naruto’s earnest blue eyes, Kakashi knew that Naruto was not lying.  _Fuck.  My.  Life._   _I AM That Drunk Guy._   Kakashi had realized that he had feelings for Naruto, but he had determined he wouldn’t act on them.  Seems the alcohol made a decision for him.  He had to set this right.

“Naruto, I was not in my right mind last night.  Anything I said I am not bound by today.”  Kakashi stated coolly, his face impassive.

Naruto crossed his arms, still straddling Kakashi.  His face softened.  “Kakashi, Obito wasn’t your fault…neither was your mother.”

That was it.  There was _no way_ Kakashi told Naruto about Obito or his mother.  In addition, IF he did, it was way out of line for Naruto to even reference such tragic history.  Tossing Naruto off the bed with a thud as Naruto landed on his shoulder, Kakashi got out of bed.  “Get out.”  Kakashi said voice ice cold.  “You have no right to talk about either of them.”  His arms were crossed, his back tense.

Naruto sighed, sitting up and rubbing his shoulder.  Now that he knew Kakashi’s true feelings, though, he was not giving up.  It was said that drunks couldn’t lie.  While Naruto didn’t believe that, he did believe that many times, drunks told the truth, because their inhibitions were lowered so they just didn’t give a fuck.  Kakashi was telling the truth last night, in that drunken confession, Naruto was sure.  During that confession, in Kakashi’s vulnerability, Naruto finally saw Kakashi for what he was; a lonely man who surrounded himself with silence and technology to take the place of human interaction…Kakashi used that loneliness as a wall. 

Naruto was never one to give up on someone.  Combine that with the fact that he loved Kakashi, and there was no way Naruto was giving up on SilverFang.  “Nope.”  Naruto stated simply.  Turning around, Kakashi’s eyes slitted dangerously.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?  Get.  Out.”  The elder advanced on the younger man.

Naruto stood and walked up to Kakashi, who tensed, ready for a fight.  Kakashi trained in aikido and was proficient at it, so he was ready for an attack.  What he was _not_ ready for was Naruto to wrap his arms around Kakashi and hug him.  “You can push me away, but I’m not leaving.  Kakashi, I love you and you love me.  Deny it all you want, but I don’t let what is precious to me leave.  So you are stuck with me.”

()()()

Kakashi sighed, letting a rare tender smile grace his face as he stared down at the blonde hair asleep in his lap, thinking back on the past week or so.  Naruto had been true to his word…he hadn’t left Kakashi alone since declaring said vow.  Kakashi tried…he really did.  However, Naruto just would not leave him alone.

Kakashi had left his house after Naruto refused to leave…when he came home, Naruto had left, with a note saying he would see Kakashi the next day.  Kakashi shrugged it off.  If Kakashi ignored Naruto long enough, Naruto would lose interest.  Everyone did.  Kakashi wasn’t that interesting.

Kakashi was at home cleaning when he heard the buzz the following day.  Peeking at the camera, Kakashi noted it was Naruto.  Responding to the buzzing of the gate, his brusque reply of “Go away.” didn’t seem to faze the blonde.  Naruto buzzed more.  Kakashi just ignored the buzzing and kept cleaning.  Eventually, the buzzing stopped and a few minutes later, there was a knock on Kakashi’s door.  Frowning, Kakashi walked to the door and peeked through the peephole.  Naruto stood there triumphantly.  “I hacked the security of the building _and_ your floor.”  Pride was evident in his voice.  Kakashi sighed and didn’t respond.  Naruto knocked for several minutes, and then there was silence.  Kakashi smiled and settled down on the couch.  He knew it.  Naruto finally gave up.  Suddenly, he was frowning as Naruto hacked the lock and barged in, bringing take out for lunch.

“You aren’t welcome here.”  Kakashi noted dryly as Naruto set out the ramen and sushi, making plates for them both.

“Uh huh, so anyway, I wasn’t sure what you would want to eat, so I got some ramen, cause it’s awesome, but I got some sushi too.  I remember one of your text mentioned liking a mango roll, so I got the three different rolls they had with mango in them.”  As Naruto sat the food down, he looked up happily at Kakashi, like a puppy, seeking approval.

Kakashi sighed.  The mango sushi did sound appealing, and he had not eaten lunch yet.  However, if he ate it, it would spur Naruto on.  “No, thank you Naruto.”

Naruto shrugged and started to eat.  “Fine, but I’m not leaving.”  As he started slurping up the ramen, Kakashi sighed and picked up chopsticks as he started to eat the sushi.  Grinning, Naruto smiled.  “So, whatcha wanna do today?”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.  “I’m going to finish cleaning, and then read a book.  You are going to finish eating and then leave.”  Naruto pouted, but kept eating.  After finishing, Naruto picked up the dishes and washed them, setting them on a towel to dry.  Kakashi had finished his mopping, which was the last thing he needed to do.  Noticing that Naruto had did the dishes, Kakashi nodded.  “Thank you.”  Smiling, Naruto nodded.  Heading out, Naruto winked over his shoulder.

“See you tomorrow.”

As promised, Naruto showed up the next evening around seven.  He didn’t even bother to buzz.  He hacked the security again and came up to Kakashi’s door.  Knocking on the door, Kakashi sighed at noting who it was.  Opening the door, Kakashi frowned.  “What do you want?”

“Dinner!”  Naruto chirped.  Bringing in a couple bags of takeout, he walked in and sat those bags down, pulling out burgers and fries.  As Kakashi shook his head, he set tea on to boil.  Pouring tea, he sat a cup in front of each plate.  Eating, he looked thoughtfully at Naruto.

“Why are you doing this?”  Kakashi asked, genuinely confused.

Naruto looked up, his mouth full of burger.  Chewing and swallowing, he cocked his head sideways at Kakashi.  “I told you.  I love you.  I don’t give up on people I love.”

And so it went on for five more days.  Naruto would show up unannounced, hack the security no matter how many times Kakashi changed it, and brought food or his computer or some games.

After the week of the annoyingness was nearing its end, there was a knock on the door.  Kakashi opened the door with a “Hello, Naruto.”  Smiling, blue eyes grinned up at Kakashi.  Walking in, Kakashi noted that Naruto was wearing a big, thick sweater.  “Um, Naruto, are you ill?” 

Naruto looked up and grinned.  “Nope.”

“Then why are you wearing such a big sweater?”  Kakashi asked.

“Because, I can’t be here all the time, and I realized you are to lonely, so, here!”  Pulling the wiggling fluff ball out of his shirt, he thrust the puppy in Kakashi’s arms.  As the small brown pug started licking Kakashi’s face, the silverette’s face softened.  He had always had a soft spot for dogs, but had never taken the time to go look for one.  As the puppy nestled up to Kakashi, Kakashi felt his heart melt.

“Whatcha gonna name him?”  Naruto asked, smiling happily at the look on Kakashi’s face. 

Kakashi looked at Naruto.  Smiling softly, Kakashi gave up.  “I don’t know…Pakkun?”  The puppy wiggled his tail and licked Kakashi’s face, barking happily.  Looking up at Naruto, Kakashi sighed.  “Fine.  You win.”  Grinning big, Naruto hugged Kakashi again. 

They set about making lunch, little Pakkun following along at their heels.  After lunch, Naruto grinned, looking up at Kakashi through his lashes.  “W…would you read to me?  I like the sound of your voice”.   Naruto admitted.  Kakashi nodded.  He had wanted to continue his _Icha Icha_ book he had been reading. In addition, this would be a last ditch attempt to get rid of Naruto, so he figured he would read the graphic book to Naruto, hoping to scare him off.   Jerking back to the present, Kakashi heard snoring and saw Naruto asleep in his lap, Pakkun asleep on the blonde’s stomach, Kakashi still holding the book.  Kakashi realized then that it was hopeless, and he was stuck with the blonde knucklehead.  The blonde had, indeed, won.

Kakashi had to admit it felt good to have someone else with him.  And, damnit, there was something about Naruto that just drew Kakashi closer, against his will.  The pure _goodness_ that emanated from his soul.  Kakashi had never been near anyone so good.  It felt good.  Running his fingers through the blonde mop, Kakashi grinned as Naruto shifted on his lap.  Turning back to his book, Kakashi kept reading as he kept petting Naruto’s head, Pakkun snoring quietly as well.

()()()

“So, are you two a thing now?”  Sasuke asked as he sipped his tea, typing on his keyboard. 

It had been about a week since Naruto had given Kakashi Pakkun.  Naruto grinned, looking over his keyboard.  “Yup.”  Chuckling, he went back to finishing his job.  Copying the proof to give to CK, he got ready to close his keyboard.  Suddenly, Sasuke looked up.

“Hn, well, you need to tell your boyfriend he needs better security.  I just completed a job where I got the file “Nine” from him.”  Sasuke said, shrugging.  Naruto gasped quietly.

“The file “Nine”?”  Naruto asked, gulping.  He felt a shiver going through his body.  He did not like the sound of this.  No one who would want something from Kakashi could be on the up and up.  In addition, Kakashi was not known to be able to be broken into.  “Do you know who the client was?”

Sasuke started typing again.  After a bit, “Shimura, Danzo.”  Sasuke said with a shrug.

Naruto bit his lip, nodding.  At that moment, Kakashi walked in in black pants and a vee neck sweater.  Seeing Naruto, he walked over and slid in next to Naruto.  “Anyone sitting here?” he asked mildly, putting an arm around Naruto.  Grinning, Naruto looked up at Kakashi.

“Yep.  A really sexy guy.  But you can wait here til he gets here.”  Naruto deadpanned as Kakashi’s eye crinkled as he smiled.  Sasuke ignored the two and started typing some more.  Suddenly, Naruto remembered what he and Sasuke had been talking about before Kakashi interrupted by appearing.  “Hey, ‘Kashi…can you get me into Chidori?”  He asked.  He could feel the surprise emanating off Sasuke.

“Hn…”  Kakashi stated, grabbing Naruto’s laptop.  With a few keystrokes, he presented the laptop back to Naruto with the Rabbit Hole, as the entrance to Chidori had been named, on the screen.  “Looking for something special?”  Kakashi asked as CK brought over an order of calamari.  Nodding his thanks, Kakashi started eating some. 

Naruto nibbled on his lip.  “Yea.  Looking for information about Shimura, Danzo.”  Naruto said, eyes reading the trail he was following.

Kakashi stiffened inwardly, although outwardly he had not changed at all.  “Oh?  Why?” 

“Just heard about him and wondering more about him.”  Naruto worried.

“Oh, well, I can tell you that he is the leader of the Akatsuki.”  Kakashi noted as Naruto’s eyes got very wide, his face immediately troubled.  “So, let me guess, you are wondering why he hired someone to hack into my files?”  Kakashi noted mildly.  Naruto looked up, eyes wide.  “They are looking for the password to your statue.”  Kakashi responded.  Reading the disbelief, shock and fear in his boyfriend’s face, Kakashi realized it was one of Naruto’s friends who had breached Kakashi’s security. “Was it Sakura’s job?”  Noticing the Uchiha paying attention now, Kakashi nodded in recognition.  “No, of course not.  It was Sasuke.”

Sasuke blinked several times, slowly.  “Y…you mean I just stole the password of the statue for the Akatsuki?”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.  “What file did you take?”  Kakashi asked, already knowing the answer to his question, as he was alerted as soon as someone tried to enter his domain.

“Nine.  Just the file entitled ‘Nine’.”  Sasuke whispered.  He knew what Minato had put in the statue, and how dangerous Kurama was.  “Kakashi…I’m, sorry, I’m really sorry.  I … I did not know what he wanted them for.  I just wanted to hack the unhackable.”  Sasuke looked actually, almost contrite.

“OH, you didn’t take the password file.”  Kakashi noted, clicking a couple buttons to help Naruto move through the maze of Chidori.

“I…I didn’t?”  Sasuke’s brows knitted together in confusion.  “But, it was the most protected file in your system!”  Sasuke’s voice was indignant.

“In my system that you can see...or that you would want to see.”  Kakashi noted.

“The system I can…see?”  Sasuke asked confused as Naruto suddenly smirked, proud of Kakashi, thinking he had figured out what Kakashi had done.

“Yea, Sasuke, what you can see.”  Naruto chided, taking a chance and explaining what he thought it was.  “The file you wanted was in the recycle bin.  Who’s going to look through someone’s trash?”

Kakashi smirked, proud of Naruto’s intuition.  “Very good, Naruto.”  His forehead wrinkled just a bit.  “However, this does present a problem.”  Finishing the calamari, he stood and offered his hand to Naruto.  Naruto wiggled out of the booth and followed him, a glare tossed at Sasuke for good measure.

“Kashi…”  Naruto followed the silverette out of Cire’s.  Kakashi hailed a cab.  Climbing in, Naruto slid in next to Kakashi.  After giving directions to the driver, Naruto turned his attention back to Kakashi.  “Problem?”

Kakashi nodded.  “We’ll talk more in the apartment.  I don’t trust anyone right now, except you.” 

Nodding, Naruto held Kakashi’s hand, looking out the window.  Letting out a nervous sigh, Naruto bit the inside of his lip.  _Why did I expect my life to ever be normal?_


	7. The Problem

“The problem...”  Kakashi stated after shutting the door and locking it, “is what to do with the statue and the password.  Since Danzo is actively searching for it, it really isn’t safe.”  Turning to the kennel, he let Pakkun out, putting a leash on him.  “Let’s walk Pakkun.”  Nodding, Naruto followed his boyfriend, worry gnawing at his gut.  As the two walked in silence, letting Pakkun do his business, Naruto grabbed Kakashi’s hand.  Kakashi smiled, enjoying Naruto’s warmth.  He wasn’t very comfortable with the whole boyfriend thing, but he did like what had happened so far.  He enjoyed spending time with Naruto.  Nevertheless, he had to admit to himself, he was waiting for the other shoe to drop…he figured Naruto would get bored and leave.  Kakashi refused to think that far at the moment, as he was really enjoying  himself.

Returning to the apartment, Kakashi let Pakkun off the leash.  Sitting down, Naruto came over and sat next to him.  “What are we going to do?”  Naruto asked.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kakashi frowned.  “I don’t know.  The statue is an Uzumaki’s burden to bear, so we cannot just release it.  However, to be honest, I don’t really know the full extent of the demon’s power and potential, so I don’t know how afraid to be…but I definitely have a healthy fear of it.”

Naruto let out a sigh.  “Kurama is…was…my friend.  I didn’t want him to be put in the statue, but Dad insisted.”

“Was?”  Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I don’t know how pissed he is for being stuck in a statue and if he’ll blame me.”  Naruto pointed out.

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully as Pakkun struggled to get up on the couch.  Naruto smiled as he noticed Kakashi pat some pet steps (that hadn’t been there the day before) to help his stubby legged pal up on the couch.  Climbing the steps, Pakkun came and laid in Kakashi’s lap.

“Your father was an extremely intelligent man who took necessary precautions.  However, I do wonder if this precaution was…”  Kakashi hesitated.

“Go on.”  Naruto encouraged.

“Well…ill-conceived.”  Kakashi stated finally, looking uncomfortable.

Naruto looked thoughtful.  “I dunno.  Maybe.  He was always so scared of Kurama.  He never gave him a chance.”

“Perhaps we should put the demon back in you, quietly, saying nothing, and just let them have the statue, with a thumb drive in it of…something else valuable to Minato?”  Kakashi asked thoughtfully, tapping his finger on his lip.

“Yea, that might work.”  Naruto grinned, eyes lightening up.  Sitting up, he looked at Kakashi.  “Let’s do it!”

Kakashi held up his hands.  “Naruto…I’m not quite sure that it will work.  It was just a suggestion I was testing by saying aloud.  It may put you in more danger.”  Kakashi pointed out.

“How so?”  Naruto asked, looking genuinely confused.

“If people would find out about the demon not being in the statue, they could come after you.  As of right now they are just after the statue.”  Kakashi pointed out.  “While the word “demon” has never been uttered in relation to the statue, I do not know who, if anyone, knows about Kurama.”

“True.”  Naruto murmured.  “But how would they find out if Kurama was back in me?  I don’t look any different with Kurama in me.”  Naruto shrugged.

“Well, once they opened the statue, and Kurama wasn’t there, wouldn’t they automatically look to you?  Dangerous people know that Uzumaki’s controlled the demon.”  Kakashi pointed out, turning and putting his hand on Naruto’s face and caressing the blonde’s cheek.

“Yea…maybe.  Why can’t we just move and assume new identities?  I’m so tired of being responsible for Kurama.”  Naruto’s face became downcast as he sighed in frustration.

“We will figure out something.”  Kissing Naruto’s forehead, he turned on the television.  Pulling the blonde to him, the two snuggled as they watched a movie.

()()()

Waking up in the middle of the night, Kakashi had an idea.  Naruto had went home late in the evening.  Going into his computer room, Kakashi set to work, hoping against hope that his plan would succeed.  As the hours drug on, the golden rays of the morning sun peeked over the horizon and Kakashi finally finished his project.  Pulling out the microchip he had downloaded the data on, he went and grabbed the statue.  Nibbling on his lip as he stared at the statue, he called Naruto and asked him to come over.  The sleepy voice assured the Hatake that he would.  Kakashi smiled.  It would probably take a while, noting how sleep filled Naruto’s voice sounded.  Fumbling with the statue a bit, he finally sat it back down in his dresser drawer and headed out to make breakfast.

Humming, Kakashi went into the kitchen and started making breakfast.  Pakkun waddled in and licked Kakashi’s leg.  Smiling down at the pup, Kakashi got out some puppy food and gave it to the pug, refreshing his little buddy’s water bowl as well.  About the time Kakashi was setting the table, he heard the door open.  As Naruto came in, the teen smiled, his mouth starting to water from the aromas being given off.  “Mmm, it smells good.”  Naruto complimented as his blue eyes took in the breakfast table and he sat down eagerly.

Kakashi smiled gently at Naruto.  “I may have a solution.”  He gestured for Naruto to sit.  As Naruto did so, there was a knock on the door.  Frowning, Kakashi got up and looked through the viewport.  Sighing in resignation, as he had ran across coded files insinuating to this, he stepped back and opened the door.  Uniformed police officers walked in as Kakashi cocked his head.  “Officers, how can I help you?”

The two men looked at Kakashi, and then looked around.  Noticing Naruto, they walked over.  “Sorry, Mr. Hatake, but we were told Uzumaki, Naruto was here.”  Stepping over to Naruto, one pulled out handcuffs.  “Uzumaki, Naruto.  You are under arrest.  You are to come with us to the detention center.”

Naruto gasped as he stood, confused.  “Wh..what?  Why?”

The officer shrugged.  “Theft of Shimura, Danzo’s private family heirloom.”

Kakashi stepped over between the two men.  “Officers, Naruto did not steal any heirloom.”

“Sorry Mr. Hatake, but we have an eyewitness saying he did.”  The officers went to grab Naruto’s wrist.

“Well, they are lying.  I stole it.  Give me a moment, and I will go get it for you.  You can follow me.”  The officers looked between each other, and then the one shrugged.

“Fine, but if this is a trick, you will be arrested as well.”  The taller officer followed Kakashi as Naruto frowned and was guarded by the more rotund officer.

“Kakashi, stop!  Don’t!  Officer, he’s lying, he didn’t stea…”  Before Naruto could finish, Kakashi turned on Naruto. 

“Naruto.  Shut.  Up.”  Kakashi growled.

“No!  Kakashi I won’t let you do th…”  Naruto started as Kakashi ushered the tall officer with him.  As he went into the bedroom, the cop following him, Kakashi dug around and pulled out the statue.  Looking over his shoulder at the officer, he held it up.  The officer’s eyes lit up.

Whistling lowly, the officer held out his hand.  “Give it to me and we’ll let the kid go.  You’ll have to come with us.”  Nodding, Kakashi gripped the statue.  Bringing Kakashi back into the living room, Naruto’s eyes got huge and he ran for Kakashi before the officer could stop him.

“Kakashi, no!”  Naruto pleaded, gripping Kakashi’s wrist.  Kakashi looked at him sternly.

“Naruto, stop.  You are a teenager, you wouldn’t understand, or survive.”  The silverette’s onyx eyes were hard as his voice lowered.

“No, damnit…I won’t let you do th…” before anything else could be said, Kakashi hit Naruto on the back of the head, hard.  Naruto’s eyes crossed and he slid to the floor, unconscious.  Kakashi looked at the officers.

“You can add domestic assault to my charges.  He’s my boyfriend.”  Kakashi almost cheerfully admitted as he settled Naruto on the couch comfortably, covering him with a soft blanket.

()()()

Naruto woke up on Kakashi’s couch, head pounding, Pakkun whining next to him.  Remembering what just happened, Naruto jumped up.  Grabbing his phone, he put Pakkun in the kennel and headed out, to go to the local detention center.  Walking in, he went up to the officer on duty.  “My name is Uzumaki, Naruto.  I want to visit with Hatake, Kakashi.  He was brought in earlier.”

The officer looked down at the computer screen.  After a few moments, he looked back up.  “Sit over there.  He is being interrogated right now.  I’ll let you know when you can see him.”  Naruto pouted, but sat down.  Looking at his phone, he noticed it was about four in the afternoon.  Kakashi had been in custody for several hours.  After twenty minutes, the guard looked at Naruto.  “You’re not going to be able to see Hatake today.  They are still interrogating him.  Come back tomorrow.”  Naruto stood and started to protest, but stopped, shoulders slumping.  There was no reason for him to be arrested too.  Itachi wasn’t here, and he was the only one Naruto knew in the police force…Naruto wouldn’t be able to help Kakashi if he were arrested as well.  Nodding, he headed out.

Once back at his apartment, after stopping and getting Pakkun from Kakashi’s apartment, Naruto went and sat down on Sasuke’s bed, as Sasuke was working on his computer.  Sasuke didn’t say a word, just looked over his shoulder at Naruto and sniffed at the dog.  When Sasuke didn’t speak for about five more minutes, Naruto could not take it anymore.  “Sasuke, I need your help.  Kakashi’s been arrested.”

Sasuke stopped typing and turned, looking at Naruto cautiously.  “How are we supposed to help him if he got himself arrested?  Why was he arrested?”  Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto.

“He stole an heirloom from Shimura, Danzo.  A statue of a nine tailed fox.”  Naruto stated pointedly, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Sasuke just cut his eyes to the side with “Hn.”

“Come on!  We need to get him out!”  Naruto’s hands were balled into fists at his side as Pakkun whined at Naruto’s feet.  Picking up Pakkun, the pup whimpered and nuzzled against Naruto.

Sasuke looked at Naruto.  “And how do you propose we do that?”  He asked calmly.

Naruto shrugged, wrapping his arms around himself.  “I dunno.  I just…well, he doesn’t deserve to be there.  We gotta get him out!  Talk to your brother!”

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Have you seen Kakashi yet?”

“No.”  Naruto’s eyes were worried.

“Go see him.  Talk to him.  See if he has any ideas.  Tomorrow.  I’ll work on it from this end.  But right now…get some sleep.  You look like shit.”  Sasuke turned back around and went back to typing on his computer.  Feeling more alone than ever before, Naruto went to his room and went to bed.  As he emptied his pockets, he saw a flash drive that he hadn’t had this morning.  Scrunching his forehead in confusion, he pulled up his laptop and plugged the drive in as he lay on the bed, Pakkun on the pillow by his head.  As Naruto started looking at it, reading the code, his mouth fell open.  “He fucking did it…but then…why?”  As Naruto’s eyes clouded with confusion, he lay back, his brain trying to work through everything that had happened.

()()()

The next morning, Naruto was at the detention center early.  Seeing a familiar face, he smiled.  “Itachi!”  Sasuke’s older brother looked up and smiled at Naruto.

“Naruto.  It has been awhile.  What brings you by?”  The brunette smiled at his kid brother’s best friend.  Naruto practically lived with them growing up, it seemed, so Itachi had grown fond of the blonde loud mouth.

“I need to see Hatake, Kakashi.  Please?”  Naruto begged.  Frowning, Itachi crossed his arms.

“Don’t tell me you’ve gotten mixed up with Hatake.  He’s bad news, Naruto.”  Itachi warned, looking at Naruto with concern behind his dark eyes.  Itachi had always wanted to be a police officer, and he was a good one, devoted to the law.

“No, he’s not.  He’s misunderstood.  Please, just let me see him.”  Naruto begged.  Sighing, Itachi checked the computer.

“Naruto, I can’t let you see him.  He’s really bad.  He stole from the Shimuras.”  Itachi warned.  “No one does that…everyone knows who the Shimuras are and how dangerous they are.  He’s confessed!”

Naruto crossed his arms.  “He was framed…the statue is mine!”  Itachi looked at him with an eyebrow raised disbelievingly.  “Ask your brother…he’s seen it!”  Letting out a sigh, Itachi stood.

“I’ll talk to Sasuke.  I will let you talk to Hatake, but only through the phones through glass.  The calls are recorded, Naruto, so don’t do anything stupid, okay?”  When Naruto nodded his acquiescence, Itachi huffed a quiet, “Follow me.”  Buzzing Naruto in, Itachi led him down to a booth.  “Sit there.” Itachi ordered; as Itachi headed out, Naruto sat down on the cold metal chair, staring at Itachi’s back.  After a few minutes, he saw Kakashi sit down on the other side of the glass, hair at crazy angles, his mask gone, in pale green scrub looking clothing.  He was paler than normal, dark circles under his eyes.  Naruto picked up the phone on the wall of the booth, and Kakashi did the same.

“Kakashi!  Are you okay?”  Naruto asked.

“Naruto, I’m fine.”  Kakashi said, his voice sounding tired.  “Did you find the present I left for you?”  Kakashi asked.

“Yea…I did.  But I don’t know how I can use it to help you.”  Naruto confessed, tears pricking at his eyes at the state of Kakashi.  “Just give them what they want.  Don’t you think they will do worse when they find out?”  Naruto put a hand up to the glass.

Kakashi smiled at Naruto.  “You don’t get it.  It does not matter.  You are safe.  That’s what counts.  Even if you _did_ do it, which you did not, as I confessed and gave the evidence to the police…you would not survive in here.  You’re so handsome, and so young…and so good…I don’t want that driven out of you.”  About then a guard came and jerked Kakashi to his feet.  Kakashi leaned over and placed his hand next to Naruto’s.  “Naruto, take care of Pakkun.  He’s getting big; he’ll need a bigger collar.”  As Kakashi was jerked away, Naruto sat, looking at the empty chair.  Finally, he got up and went home, with no more answers than he had before. 

Opening the door, he was met by Pakkun.  Biting his bottom lip, Naruto sat down and looked at Pakkun’s collar, to see how tight it was…and saw a tiny fox charm hanging on it.  As Naruto grabbed it to look closer, he felt the warmth and tingles that were very familiar to him.

**_“Hello, Naruto.  I have missed you…now; let us figure out how to get Kakashi out of that shithole detention center.  It’s the least I can do for him freeing me from the statue.”_ **


	8. Full Circle

Naruto shivered.  Smiling, he rubbed his arms.  _“Kurama!  I’ve missed you!  A…are you mad at me?”_ Naruto asked cautiously.

 ** _“Nah…not you.  Your dad’s a dick though.”_** Kurama grumbled.

Naruto chuckled sadly.  _“He did what he thought was best.  But anyways…He’s dead.”_ Naruto’s eyes grew wistful.  He still missed his dad, even though he had passed.

 ** _“Sorry.”_** Kurama grumbled begrudgingly after an awkward silence.  **_“So, we need to figure out a way to expose the dirty cops paid off by Danzo and get Kakashi out.  Any ideas?”_**   Kurama asked.

“Dirty cops?”  Naruto was so surprised; he had spoken aloud without realizing it.

 ** _“Yea, there are about four Kakashi found that are dirty.”_   **Kurama responded.  **_“Didn’t you see the files he had on the drive he gave you?”_**

Naruto’s eyes lit up.  “That’s what those names were for!  Hmmm…”  Naruto thought for a few moments, and then snapped his fingers.  “I got it!  C’mon…I can give this to Itachi…he’ll be able to do something with it!”  Naruto went to his computer and made a backup copy of the flash drive, then texted Itachi, asking to meet up with him.  Itachi was confused, but agreed to meet at a little coffee shop about ten minutes from Naruto’s apartment.  Pocketing the flash drive, Naruto went to the little café and ordered a hot cider, sitting down and waiting for Itachi.

Sliding into the booth across from Naruto about five minutes later, Itachi lifted his coffee cup to his lips as steam escaped the opening in the lid.  “What’s up, Naruto?” he asked, sipping the dark liquid after blowing on it to cool it.

Naruto fished around in his pocket and pulled out the flash drive.  Sliding it across the table, he lifted his hand.  “There is information on here that is important and will show Kakashi’s innocence.  I’m giving it to you.  Sasuke can help you with the codes, that way you know I didn’t do anything to it.  Please, Itachi...look at it.  I know you are a good cop and want justice to be done.  I promise you, Kakashi is innocent.”  Naruto pleaded, staring at the Uchiha.

Itachi sighed, weighing the options as he silently stared at the blonde.  He had his reservations, but he wasn’t sure…deciding, he nodded his head.  “Fine, I’ll look into it.  I’m supposed to me up with Sasuke tonight anyways.”  Itachi finally stated, his tone heavy.  Grinning big, Naruto got up and hugged Itachi.

“Thanks!  I promise, I’m right.”  Heading out of the coffee shop, almost skipping, Naruto felt a slight bit of hope.  Heading back to the apartment, he grabbed a ball, put Pakkun on a leash and took him to the dog park.

The sun was starting to set by the time Naruto came back home with the puppy.  Pakkun was sound asleep in Naruto’s arms.  Depositing the puppy on the couch, Naruto reached over to turn on a light.  As the warm rays of the lamp lit the apartment, Naruto looked around, against hope.  Kakashi was nowhere to be found.  Sighing dejectedly, Naruto got the puppy ready for bed, and then crawled into Kakashi’s bed.  He knew Kakashi wouldn’t be able to get out so quickly…but he could hope.  Rolling over, Naruto fell into a fitful sleep, holding the pillow and pretending to nestle against silver hair.

()()()

The next morning, Naruto took care of Pakkun, and then headed for the detention center.  Waiting in the lobby, he was finally allowed to see Kakashi.  Sitting behind the glass again, Kakashi was paler than normal.  Picking up the phone, Naruto couldn’t help but to touch the glass again.

“How are you doing?”  Naruto asked, biting his bottom lip.

“I’m fine, Naruto.  How are you?”  Kakashi smiled, the bags under his eyes much darker than before.

Naruto shrugged.  “Good.  Missing you, but otherwise I’m fine.  Pakkun is doing okay.  I took him to the dog park yesterday.  He seems to like the other dogs.  But I can tell he misses you.”  Naruto supplied.

Kakashi smiled.  “Yes, he has bonded to me…he also always wants to be around the other dogs.  You may have to get him a friend.”  About then, the guard jerked Kakashi up by the arm and led him out.  As the phone hung, Naruto stared at the spot Kakashi had been.  Frowning, Naruto got up and headed out, still discouraged.

Naruto really knew he should go to class, but he was too worried about Kakashi.  Going back to the apartment, he put the leash on Pakkun and took him for a walk, lost in thought, trying to figure out ways to get Kakashi out.  He didn’t like the way Kakashi was looking, and he wanted Kakashi out… _now._   When he noticed it was getting late, he led Pakkun back to Kakashi’s apartment.  He would have to go back to his apartment eventually.  He decided he would go home, but he needed to pick up some of Pakkun’s stuff, then he could go home.  Walking in, he reached over to turn on a lamp when he felt arms grab him and wrap around him.  Fear coiled in his gut.  “Thank you.” The husky voice was familiar as the warm breath tickled his ear at the whisper.

“Damnit, Kakashi!”  Naruto turned with recognition and punched the mass, hearing a grunt.  “You scared the hell out of me…wait!  You’re out?”  Flipping on a light, Naruto saw Kakashi standing there, rubbing his chest where Naruto punched him.  He was pale and a bit thinner, but otherwise looked fine. 

Kakashi smiled.  “You figured it out.  In addition, you trusted the right person.  Itachi got me out…and got the officers charged.  Danzo will not be able to be touched though…he has enough connections and money.  But, it’s a start.”

Naruto’s face split into a grin and he hugged Kakashi tightly.  Frowning after a few moments, he looked to Kakashi.  “So, we have to go into hiding ‘cause Danzo is still free?”

Kakashi cocked his head to the side and studied Naruto.  “No, why would we have to do that?”

“Well…cause Danzo doesn’t have Kurama…” Naruto pointed out.

“No…but he _does_ have the statue.  Somehow, it miraculously disappeared from the evidence room.  We both know who has it now…even if the police can’t find it.  However, the red herring I’ve put in there should satisfy Danzo.  And if it doesn’t, we’ll deal with it when it comes up.”  Kakashi shrugged, bending down and petting Pakkun.

“Huh?”  Naruto asked in confusion again.

Kakashi looked up through his bangs and stood, Pakkun in his arms.  “I put a chip in it that will take a while to decipher…but when it is deciphered, a hidden bank account and a jutsu for extreme speed will be found…just the sort of things Minato would find sacred…no?”  Kakashi asked, winking.

Naruto looked up.  “S…so, we’re free?”

Kakashi smiled, pulled Naruto into his arms.  “So it appears.”

()()()

Naruto rolled over, looking at Kakashi.  The ring glinted off the band on his left hand.  Naruto Uzumaki Hatake had a nice ring to it.  Wiggling his finger in the sun, he stretched.  Smiling, he thought back on the past three years. After the officers were incarcerated, Naruto and Kakashi continued to date, moving in together at the year mark.  Naruto had to admit, he liked living with Kakashi…he loved waking up with him and falling asleep with him.  Kakashi just seemed to complete him.  When Kakashi asked Naruto to marry him, Naruto did not even have to hesitate…he said yes in a heartbeat.  Their wedding was the most perfect day Naruto could imagine.  Sasuke stood up with him, and Iruka stood up with Kakashi.  All their friends were there.  After the ceremony, the party lasted well into the night.  Moreover, the honeymoon…well…Naruto’s face flushed at the memories of what they did that night and several nights since then.

After the wedding, things settled down into a routine…a routine that Naruto thoroughly enjoyed.  Get up, coffee and breakfast with Kakashi, go to work, come home, time with Kakashi, bedtime, sleep, repeat.  On the weekends, spend time with Kakashi and friends, or just Kakashi.  It was a pleasant, white picket life.  One that Naruto enjoyed immensely.

Naruto had graduated from college, and decided to open a virtual reality center.  People from all over came to enjoy the programming that Naruto and Kakashi created.  Naruto worried some that Danzo would try something at some point, but so far,…he hadn’t.  Kurama was comfortable in Naruto’s skin.  He sometimes still joked about escaping and taking over the world, but he hadn’t…yet.  Naruto threatened to lock Kurama inside a virtual reality of babies and kittens and puppies.  The fear emanating from Kurama was quite humorous when the threat was voiced.

“Maa, Naruto…what are you staring at?”  Kakashi asked, eyes still closed, a smile tugging at his lips.

“A sexy old man.” Naruto deadpanned.

“Old?”  Kakashi grinned, poking Naruto in the side.  “I’ll show you old.”  Opening his eyes, a dangerous gleam crept through them.  Naruto squealed and jumped out of the bed.  He didn’t trust Kakashi when he looked like that.  As he rushed to the bathroom, Kakashi crept after him.  As Kakashi stalked his prey, Naruto giggled. 

Suddenly, the phone rang.  Going to grab the phone, Kakashi left his prey in the bathroom.  As Naruto heard Kakashi talking, he went ahead and jumped in the shower, enjoying the stream of water sluicing over him.  As he leaned his head on the wall, he heard Kakashi come in.  As the shower door opened and then closed, Naruto smiled as he felt strong arms wrap around him.  Leaning in to the kiss on his ear, he hummed happily.

“I have some good news.”  Kakashi stated.

“Mmm?”  Naruto asked, eyes still closed, enjoying being held.

“Itachi just called.  Danzo is dead.  The statue was found, and had never been broken into.”  As Naruto’s eyes opened wide, he looked up at Kakashi.

“We really are free, aren’t we?”  Hope bubbled up in Naruto’s heart.

“Yes, Naruto, we are.”  Kissing Naruto’s nose, Kakashi went about washing his husband’s back, as both men felt better about their future than they ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this story has ended...not all problems have long winded solutions, and I wasn't going to drag it out to just continue the story. I hope you enjoyed it and enjoy my new story, Moons of Konahagakure. Happy International Fanworks Day!


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